Catching Fire, the second Hunger Games movie, comes out today. Last year I did what kind of wine each district would make if they were allowed to let their grapefriend flags fly, but let’s now take a look at what wine grape best fits each of the main characters.
Fittingly, this study came out saying that the most distinctive adjective Suzanne Collins uses in the trilogy is “drunk.” Found that pretty weird, especially main characters don’t even drink!
katniss
Katniss is the ultimate bold and independent girl. Stubborn. She’s also obviously a survivor, having won not one but two hunger games. Clearly, she’s a Malbec, which is a grape that used to be blended into most Bordeaux wines but basically got phased out. Now it’s rocking on its own in Argentina. Plus it’s amazing with meat, so all the spoils of her hunting runs will have the perfect match.
gale
Gale’s the type of rugged dude who comes alive in the woods. Sometimes in wine, you get a little forest floor, especially in earthy Pinot Noirs. The ones from France usually have brown leaves and dirt in their aroma profiles, and so do many from Oregon I could totally picture Panem being in the Pacific Northwest, so I’ll go with Oregon on this one.
peeta
Peeta comes from a family of bakers. And aromas like brioche and yeast are what you regularly find in Champagne.
prim
She’s young, pure, and simple. Just like a Pinot Gris (awesome ones are from Alsace) which is meant to be drunk young.
president snow
He’s tyrannical and inspires people to bow down under his rule. We gotta go with a cult Cab for him. These are super small-production Cabernets made in Napa that people can’t even get on the mailings list for despite the fact that prices start in the hundreds (though sell for wayyy higher on the auction circuit). Colgin, Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle, DaNa and Bryant Family are just some of the massively expensive cabs that have formed irrationally passionate fans.
haymitch
Haymitch drinks but is usually on the hard stuff. He’s good at the core but masked in a drunken, messy alcohol stupor. Similarly, Chardonnay can make a gorgeous, silky, elegant wine but is too often masked by an overuse of oak barrels when it’s aged.
effie
She’s just so bubbly, isn’t she? She escorts tributes to the serious games, just like how delicate and perfumey Pinot Meunier accompanies Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Champagne. Every once in a while, they make a sparkling wine solely from Pinot Meunier! and this seems like a fitting pairing for Effie. She’s really the only grapefriend (and even gets Haymitch to drink some red wine at dinner in the first installment), so I have some respect for this lady.

go grapefriend
Who are you most like (and don’t base on your feelings about the characters, if you have any):
What a great post! I love the way your mind works. And I also love that the photo of Effie is the marquis photo. It’s very distinctive. So much so that I knew just from the costume and makeup that this was a Hunger Games related post. I guess kudos go to the costume and makeup designers for the movie, too. Now I have to decide if I’m going to vote in your poll based on the varietal or the character.
Thanks! Cheers. Definitely vote based on varietal characteristic 🙂
Love this! So fun. I can’t relate to any of them at all, really. And I have yet to have a bubbly made entirely of Pinot Meunier!